LOS ANGELES – Feb. 19, 2016 – With the shared mission of merging beauty and sustainable design, Aquafil and Milliken have partnered to create and debut a custom-designed green carpet that will grace the step and repeat at Global Green’s 13th annual Pre-Oscar Party.

More than 500 guests, including celebrities, eco-luminaries, environmental companies and political leadership from around the world will gather on Feb. 24, 2016 to celebrate sustainable solutions and hear the latest green messages from some of Hollywood's biggest stars.

The Global Green event raises not only funds for critical environmental initiatives, but also global awareness of solutions to climate change. Global Green leads by example on how to live greener lifestyles by featuring everything from a sustainable green carpet, to an all-organic menu, to making the event zero-waste and having celebrities arrive in eco-friendly vehicles. All of these efforts appropriately dub this party as the green event of Oscar week.

At the center of it all will be the launch of the green carpet, manufactured by Milliken using Aquafil’s sustainable ECONYL® nylon yarn, which will greet celebrity guests as they arrive. Made completely from nylon waste materials – such as abandoned fishing nets and used carpets – ECONYL breathes new life into old products that would otherwise pollute the world’s oceans and landfills.

“Working with Milliken to create the green carpet for this high-profile event was a unique opportunity for our team,” said Giulio Bonazzi, chairman and CEO of Aquafil Group. “Sustainability is in our DNA, and we are honored to be a part of this process and to help Global Green further its mission. By working together, we collectively raise the bar of responsibility.”

The PVC-free green carpet represents just one of the sustainable solutions at this event. As the U.S. affiliate of Green Cross International, Global Green’s signature programs include greening affordable housing, schools, neighborhoods and cities as well as rebuilding communities that have suffered from the impacts of climate change, sea level rise and environmental degradation.

“It was important for Global Green to find the right partners for this event – partners who not only share our outlook on sustainability, but also the same values and goals,” said Elizabeth Nettles, Director of Corporate Engagement and Special Events at Global Green. “Aquafil has been at the forefront in research of new production models for sustainable development, a pillar of why Global Green exists. So it’s fitting that Aquafil and Milliken provide the sustainable green carpet that will welcome eco-minded A-listers to the 13th annual pre-Oscar celebration.”

“This green carpet helps us showcase a growing trend at the intersection of high quality and sustainable design – a critical component to the greater environmental movement,” said Jim McCallum, president of Milliken’s global flooring division. “Our partnership with Aquafil enables us to create products that are at once beautiful, functional and sustainable, and the Pre-Oscar Party with Global Green is the perfect venue to showcase this trifecta.”

Milliken’s progressive flooring products offer environmentally friendly design solutions built from unique insights and unparalleled technical capabilities. All Milliken carpets in the U.S. are PVC-free to improve indoor air quality and are manufactured using 52 percent renewable energy. The company has also sent zero process waste to landfill for more than 22 years. Its leadership in sustainable design is furthered by its eco-minded partner, Aquafil. For every ton of fishing nets recovered, Aquafil is able to produce enough regenerated ECONYL nylon yarn for Milliken to create roughly 11,000 square feet of sustainable carpet.

About Aquafil

Since 1969, Aquafil has been one of the leading players, both in Italy and globally, in the production of polyamide 6. The Aquafil Group has a presence in eight countries on three continents, employing more than 2700 staff at 16 plants located in Italy, Germany, Scotland, Slovenia, Croatia, the USA, Thailand and China. For more information, visit www.aquafil.com.

About ECONYL®

Made from 100 percent regenerated nylon waste materials, Aquafil’s ECONYL fiber helps divert global waste streams from landfills and oceans and is used to produce a wide range of textile products such as sportswear, swimwear, and carpets. Aquafil started the ECONYL Regeneration System as a sustainability initiative in 2007 and within four years it became an important milestone and commercial driver within the company, representing a significant step towards the company’s involvement in the circular economy. The ECONYL Regeneration System is the world's most efficient industrial system for the production of Nylon 6 and is unique in that it boasts no loss of quality after reclamation and transformation of nylon waste. For more information, visit www.econyl.com or @ECONYL.

About Milliken’s global floor covering division

Milliken has a rich history of delivering innovative flooring solutions from its award-winning global design studios, research center and manufacturing facilities. Milliken’s progressive and purposeful flooring products offer great design solutions built from unique insights and an exceptional array of technical capabilities. Visit us at any of our product showrooms around the world and see what inspires our community of innovators. Or, learn more about Milliken floor covering at www.millikenfloors.com, and on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

About Milliken

For 150 years, Milliken has been innovating with the purpose to explore, discover and create ways to enhance people’s lives. Our community of innovators has developed one of the larger collections of United States patents held by a private U.S. company. With expertise across a breadth of disciplines, including specialty chemical, floor covering and performance materials, we work around the world every day to add true value to people’s lives, improve health and safety, and help make this world more sustainable. For more information, visit www.milliken.com and join us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Global Green USA

Global Green USA is dedicated to helping the people, places, and the planet in need through catalytic projects, transformative policy, and cutting-edge research. Global Green USA's signature programs include greening affordable housing, schools, neighborhoods, and cities as well as rebuilding communities -- such as New Orleans and areas of New York and New Jersey -- that have suffered from the impacts of climate change, sea level rise, and environmental degradation. Global Green USA is the U.S. affiliate of Green Cross International, which was founded by President Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993 to foster a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future. For more information, visit globalgreen.org and follow @globalgreen.